The inventor of the present invention has proposed a spherical semiconductor element having light receiving or light emitting capability that has positive and negative electrodes at opposite positions about the center thereof, and a solar battery module wherein multiple sets of multiple semiconductor elements are serially connected in each set and the multiple semiconductor elements are embedded in a synthetic resin material as set forth in the publication of WO98/15983. In the solar battery module, the semiconductor elements have a spherical form and a spherical pn-junction in the surface. Positive and negative electrodes are provided in the centers of the surfaces of the p-type and n-type regions forming the pn-junction.
The inventor of the present invention has proposed a solar battery module wherein the above spherical semiconductor elements are arranged in multiple rows and columns, the semiconductor elements in each row are connected in parallel by conductive members and solder or conductive adhesive, the semiconductor elements in each column are connected in series by lead members and solder, and they are embedded in a synthetic resin material as set forth in the publication of WO02/35612, WO02/35613, and WO03/017382.
The inventor of the present invention has further proposed a semiconductor module having light receiving or light emitting capability wherein multiple semiconductor elements are embedded in a synthetic resin material as set forth in the publication of WO03/036731.
Recently, solar batteries are increasingly in use as a renewable clean energy source relative to environmental issues such as air pollution and global warming and exhaustion of fossil fuels. Light emitting diodes are also increasingly in use as illumination source from the viewpoint of energy and resource saving. There is also an increasing need of saving resources for materials and reducing production energy consumption.    Patent Document 1: WO98/15983;    Patent Document 2: WO02/35612;    Patent Document 3: WO02/35613;    Patent Document 4: WO03/017382; and    Patent Document 5: WO03/036731.